Natural religion resembles Revealed religion in this.  Supposing both divine, both have been arranged so that, as far as reason can lead us, there is only enough evidence of design to arouse serious attention to the question of it.  In other words, as regards both, the attitude of pure reason ought to be that of pure agnosticism. (Observe that the inadequacy of teleology, or design in nature, to prove Theism has been expressly recognized by all the more intellectual Christians of all ages, although such recognition has become more general since Darwin.  On this point I may refer to Pascal especially[76], and many other authors.) This is another striking analogy between Nature and Revelation, supposing both to have emanated from the same author—­i.e. quite as much so as identity of developmental method in both.

Supposing the hypothesis of design in both to be true, it follows that in both this hypothesis can be alike verified only by the organ of immediate intuition—­i.e. that other mode of human apprehension which is supplementary to the rational.  Here again we note the analogy.  And if a man has this supplementary mode of apprehending the highest truth (by hypothesis such), it will be his duty to exercise his spiritual eyesight in searching for God in nature as in revelation, when (still on our present hypothesis that ’God is, and is the rewarder of them who seek Him diligently’) he will find that his subjective evidence of God in Nature and in Revelation will mutually corroborate one another—­so yielding additional evidence to his reason.

The teleology of Revelation supplements that of Nature, and so, to the spiritually minded man, they logically and mutually corroborate one another.

Paley’s writings form an excellent illustration of the identity of the teleological argument from Nature and from Revelation; though a very imperfect illustration of the latter taken by itself, inasmuch as he treats only of the New Testament, and even of that very partially—­ignoring all that went before Christ, and much of what happened after the apostles.  Yet Paley himself does not seem to have observed the similarity of the argument, as developed in his Natural Theology and Evidences of Christianity respectively.  But no one has developed the argument better in both cases.  His great defect was in not perceiving that this teleological argument, per se, is not in either case enough to convince, but only to arouse serious attention.  Paley everywhere represents that such an appeal to reason alone ought to be sufficient.  He fails to see that if it were, there could be no room for faith.  In other words, he fails to recognize the spiritual organ in man, and its complementary object, grace in God.  So far he fails to be a Christian.  And, whether Theism and Christianity be true or false, it is certain that the teleological argument alone ought to result, not in conviction, but in agnosticism.